That’s Not a Push-Up…This Is a Push-Up!

It’s simple, unglamorous and probably the most recognizable exercise in the world, but why do your push-ups suck? Having had the opportunity to train a large contingent of this countries Armed Service Members, I continually find myself slightly shocked at how poorly some of them do push-ups. I’m sorry but it’s true. Most of them have done thousands already in their career so it’s always an adventure trying to break those habits. But when people do them in the gym sometimes it looks like they are doing the worm. And then it hit me, they don’t have the core strength and stamina to stay tight and move as one unit because no one has ever taken the time to teach them. But I think I’ve solved the problem…

I know some of the members groan when they see planks as the core for the week, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try to fix this push-up problem. Our goal is to challenge everyone’s core in a variety of ways in every plane but the front plank lends seamlessly to improving your push-ups. The other thing with planks is they make you better at everything else in the gym too, so it’s a double whammy. Being able to maintain a braced core, your own internal weight belt, is one of the most important performance criteria there is. And not just for performance but for safety.

Time to learn how to do a proper push-up. If you can’t even hold yourself in a nice rigid hand & toe plank position you are not ready for a push-up. I’m talking head, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles all in one straight line. Everything should move in unison and pivot around your ankle joint. Oh and your thighs shouldn’t touch the floor, it should only be your chest that makes contact. I’m talking to you “Over-Archer Guy” or “Worm Lady”. If it looks like you are in a Yoga pose like the Prone Push-Up (which is nothing close to a push-up) you are doing it wrong.

Staying tight as one solid unit should be goal number 1. And thats what you should be able to maintain throughout the entire movement from start to finish. A push-up should never turn into a two part movement where your shoulders go up first followed by your hips. That’s just wrong, you are officially worming at this point. If that’s what you are doing just go to your knees like is demonstrated in the video above by Lisa. That will benefit you more than looking like a fish out of water.

Once you have the tight, straight and rigid body position dialed in then we’ll have to work on getting full depth. Not just getting your elbows bent to 90 but actually making contact with your chest to the floor. Then after you make contact with the ground you push yourself all the way back up with that same rigid body we’ve perfected until your elbows are fully extended. If you can’t get the full depth were looking for its time to modify and go back to those knees. Just remember you still need a straight rigid body. If all else fails elevate your hands onto a bench or a box.

Put your ego aside and do the modified push-ups correctly and your standard push-ups will soon catch up. Everyone has to start somewhere and it’s easier to lay a solid foundation and build from there then having a foundation built with Elmer’s glue and Popsicle sticks. We’ve all seen the person in the gym that loads the bar with a ton of weight and does a ¼ squat. Doing a sloppy push-up is the same equivalent in my book. Start where you can move through a full range of motion and progress from there.

As far as hand placement goes, I prefer people to have their thumbs line up with their chest when they are in the bottom of a push-up while keeping them close to their body. How close? Try to keep your hands just slightly outside of your shoulders. It’s best to not move your hands super wide, this might make them easier but it’s also a great way to put undue wear and tear on your shoulder and it will also limit your range of motion and potentially your depth. Also don’t let your elbows flare straight out to the side, try to maintain a 45 degree angle or so in relation to your body. This is just a better position anatomically for you. That’s it, pretty simple, very unglamorous, often done poorly, but now you don’t have an excuse

Let’s be honest, no one walks around talking about how awesome someone’s push-up form is. It’s not a complicated movement like a snatch or clean & jerk so maybe that’s why it’s often overlooked and under coached. But I believe if you do the little things perfectly every time it speaks volumes to you and your training and it makes the bigger things easier.

Be patient, do the work, see the results and I promise I’ll compliment your push-up technique!

Geoff